Applications Development Engineer

To make electronics, you need chips, wafers, transistors, reticles, and... To make these, you must see, test and manufacture them at scale—faster and better than ever before. That's where KLA comes in. Whether you're early in your career or an experienced professional, you'll solve complex challenges, work alongside brilliant minds and help shape the future of technology.

Group/Division

The Semiconductor Products and Customers (Semi PC) business unit designs, builds and sells KLA’s product portfolio to help chip manufacturers meet high-quality standards for technologies like AI, data centers, automotive and electronic devices. Our inspection, metrology, and analytics systems detect and monitor defects across logic and memory chips, specialty semiconductors, wafers, reticles, advanced packaging, process equipment and materials. We also develop technologies for specialty processes, IC substrates, and PCB manufacturing, including etch and deposition, component inspection, and imaging and analytics. The Broadband Plasma (BBP) division is the market-leading optical inspection system used by logic, foundry, and memory customers to detect critical defects at advanced nodes. These tools combine broadband plasma technology with unmatched sensitivity and speed to support high-volume manufacturing.

What You'll Do

In this role, you will play a key part in advancing business priorities by delivering high-impact work across your area of expertise.

Lead and evolve global electrical engineering standards, specifications, and design guidelines across a diverse facilities portfolio.

Review electrical designs for capital projects, infrastructure upgrades, and critical facility improvements to support consistency, quality, and compliance.

 Guide technical strategy for power distribution, UPS, generators, transfer systems, and other critical power infrastructure.

Partner with cross-functional teams to improve resiliency, operational readiness, and long-term facility performance.

Support renewable energy and electrification initiatives, including solar, battery storage, EV charging, and utility coordination where relevant.

Translate technical requirements into clear standards, design guidance, and executive-ready summaries.

Preferred Qualifications

• Customer support: Product value demonstration during beta testing, Head-to-Heads (H2H) and tools in the ramp phase, thereby enabling product penetration/adoption at world-wide customers. This includes investigating semiconductor manufacturing yield issues and providing inspection solutions; creating & sharing product value statements and use-cases with engineering, marketing and sales groups; training customers and other applications engineers.
• Product Demonstration: Provide specific product demonstrations on all aspects of highly complex products to customers and assess potential applications to meet customer needs
• Product Characterization: Work on test plan development and execute detailed characterization of the tool/algorithm performance and provides clear feedback to the Engineering teams for product improvement, especially during Alpha/Beta tests.
• Problem Diagnosis/Troubleshooting: Respond to customer requests and perform routine to moderately complex problem diagnosis and problem resolution.
• Customer Relationship: Interacts with customers to educate and coordinate activities. Good working knowledge of customer use case and is expected to understand customer needs and improve customer relations.
• Training: Conduct customer product demonstrations and technical training including on-site training of Field Applications Engineers and end users.
• Documentation: Document all test results and lessons learned in BKMs (Best Known Methods), training documents, Demo reports, or, Alpha/Beta test reports and transfer product knowledge to Field Applications teams.
• Presentation/Communication Skills: Generate demo and test reports and strong presentation skills for internal and customer review.
   

Requirements:
We are looking for high energy, self-driven and motivated engineers who are interested in working in High Tech. The semiconductor space is a fast paced, high stress environment that gives applications engineers a lot of autonomy to work and drive projects on their own. Ideal candidates appreciate the opportunity to have high levels of accountability, working well with limited supervision and thrive in a work environment where they can drive projects on their own.

• Candidate must have Master’s or bachelor's degree in Engineering, Physics, Material Science, or related fields. 
• Must have excellent oral and written communication, organizational, analytical, and interpersonal skills. 
• Candidate must be a strong team player. 
• >70% travel will be required

Minimum Qualifications

Master's Level Degree and 0 years related work experience; Bachelor's Level Degree and related work experience of 2 years

About KLA

We provide advanced inspection tools, metrology systems, process solutions, and computational analytics that make electronics possible, tackling complex challenges. From electron and photon optics to machine learning and data analytics, we seek perfection at the most fundamental level of matter in the universe. If you want to make electronics that push industries forward and make the world a better place, join us.

Total Rewards

Base Pay Range: $97,800.00 - $143,467.00 Annually
Primary Location: USA-CA-Milpitas-KLA

KLA’s total rewards package for employees may also include participation in performance incentive programs and eligibility for additional benefits including but not limited to: medical, dental, vision, life, and other voluntary benefits, 401(K) including company matching, employee stock purchase program (ESPP), student debt assistance, tuition reimbursement program, development and career growth opportunities and programs, financial planning benefits, wellness benefits including an employee assistance program (EAP), paid time off and paid company holidays, and family care and bonding leave.

Interns are eligible for some of the benefits listed. Our pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed reflects the pay for this position in the primary location identified in this posting. Actual pay depends on several factors, including state minimum pay wage rates, location, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education level or training. We are committed to complying with all applicable federal and state minimum wage requirements where applicable. If applicable, your recruiter can share more about the specific pay range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

Use of AI Statement 

At KLA, our interviews seek to understand your individual skills, problem-solving approach and authentic thinking. To ensure a fair and consistent evaluation, the use of AI, recording tools or other technologies to generate, suggest or provide responses during interviews—whether virtual or in person—is not permitted unless explicitly approved in advance as part of a reasonable accommodation or invited by the interviewer. Use of these tools may interfere with our ability to evaluate your individual qualifications and affect your candidacy. KLA is committed to advancing innovation through responsible AI, and we value candidates who share this mindset.

Equal Opportunity Statement

KLA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We will ensure that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us at [email protected] or at +1-408-352-2808 to request accommodation.

For additional information, view the US Know Your Rights poster on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website.